China again rejects Indian concerns over CPEC

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (INP): China again rejected Indian concerns over China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that is a major and pilot project of Belt and Road’s initiative, by making the initiative part of its constitution.
According to Indian media’s reports, the Indian officials get highly upset over the change made in the Chinese Constitution, making Belt and Road’s initiative an integral part of the Constitution.
The 19th National congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that ended on last Tuesday took a drastic decision, carrying forward its connectivity plan through Pakistan’s Gwadar Port at all cost.
Indian Congress has expressed concern over the constitutional changes made at the recently concluded Chinese People’s Congress, which ended on last Tuesday.
“India is opposed to the specific strand of One Belt One Road (OBOR) that passes through our territory,” Secretary at Congress’ Foreign Affairs Department and party spokesperson Manish Tewari said.
India was a notable exception among regional countries which didn’t send representatives to attend the inaugural OBOR conference in Beijing in May, which otherwise saw participation from 65 other countries, including Pakistan.
Commenting on the constitutional amendment, a member of the erstwhile National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and former bureaucrat, Jayadev Ranade, said that India’s concerns about sovereignty over Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) went unheeded.
“The enshrining of the Initiative in China’s Constitution is an indication that India’s concerns on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor have been ignored.
Now heading the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy (CCAS), Ranade noted that the aim of President Xi Jinping was to get the OBOR ready by 2049, which will be the centenary of the founding of People’s Republic.
“They will look to complete this connectivity project in the second phase of China’s development towards a global power, which will go on from 2035 to 2050.
The OBOR initiative, inspired by the ancient Silk Road, is a network of infrastructure projects over land and sea that’s expected to increase China’s influence on global trade. Beijing will spend approximately $1 trillion on OBOR over coming years.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is part of OBOR that will connect Xinjiang in western China to the port of Gwadar in Pakistan. The CPEC route passes through Azad Jummu and Kashmir, which is a key concern raised by India time and again.INP/J/AJ

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